Page 7 - aruba-today-20240705

A7
LOCAL Friday 5 July 2024

Exploring the Mainstreet of San Nicolas

SAN NICOLAS— At Just 11 miles southeast from buildings with colorful art pieces that keep
Oranjestad you will enter the city San Nicolas, brightening up SunriseCity.
also known as Sunrise City or Chocolate City.
A city that is rich in authentic culture and island Must See, Do, Buy & Eat
charm. San Nicolas is Aruba’s second largest A little bit of everything can be found in the
city and was once a bustling company town main street. Stores selling shoes, clothing, jew-
dominated by the oil industry since the early elry you name it. Arts & crafts by Cosecha store
1930’s. & Creative Center, a design store in which you
can immerse yourself in discovering genuine
Over the course of four decades, its demo- and locally made arts and crafts which reflect
graphics had changed immensely due to a the diversification of the Aruban craft heritage
stream of Afro-Caribbean and South American and the artistic supply of artisans. Don’t miss
workers who came to fill the jobs in the oil refin- out on trying the exquisite food offered by the
ery between the 1920’s until the 1960’s. To this name a few of the items of old-time Aruba that cafes and restaurants or just enjoy a peaceful
day traces of the multicultural influences in culi- has been preserved. A collection of artifacts walk admiring the murals, mosaic benches and
nary offerings and customs, housing and popu- and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, all the history San Nicolas has to offer.
lation are clearly visible in San Nicolas - more or scientific importance can be found here for
than anywhere else on the island. the purpose of education or enjoyment.
Carnival Euphoria is showcasing Aruba’s Carni-
Flow of history val. See how are Carnival has developed over
if you are looking for history San Nicolas has it. the past 65 years.
Here you will find three amazing museums, The The new San Nicolas
Museum of Industry, the Community Museum In the shadow of the refinery, an art capital is
and the Carnival Euphoria, all within walking quietly beginning to grow. This is the new San
distance from one another. Nicolas, a place that is starting to become a
The Museum of Industry is situated in the Water magnet for all that is young, cool and hip in
Tower in San Nicolas and narrates Aruba’s in- Aruba. Indeed, San Nicolas has all of the ingre-
dustrial history which began in the 19th century. dients of an emerging cultural hub — varied
Here you will learn about gold, aloe, phosphate, history, interesting architecture, and, perhaps
oil and the tourism industries which made San most importantly, an urban layout that makes
Nicolas once a bustling business center. Expe- it walkable. As you walk around, the streets are
rience the touching stories of those who were silent but the walls are loud, filled with bright,
part of this history. colorful murals painted by a collection of artists
Nicolaas Store built in 1940 and renovated in from around the world. Thanks to the efforts of
2014 is the home of the Community Museum. various art organizations in Aruba, such as Art
The collection is remarkable and spans millen- Rules Aruba and Aruba Art Fair, San Nicolas has
nia. Ancient fossils stand next to tableaus of an had quite the aesthetic makeover with regards
authentically recreated colonial kitchen and to vibrant street art. Each year more and more
bedroom and 19th-century barbershop, just to stunning murals are replacing broken down

Planning on snorkeling? Get to know our “Dorado”

(Oranjestad)—If you’re ever planning on snor- lines or floating objects on the sea. Often you
keling during your vacation on Aruba, you may will find a group landing together and if you
spot fish that you can’t recognize. One of these keep a male on the line, often the others will
may be the “Dorado”, a common fish that swims stay close or can keep the group interested by
all year long in the waters of Aruba. Here’s some giving shrimp or squid.
information about the beloved Dorado.
Description:
Dorado has many different names it can be re- Dorado has a distinctive body. It has a large
ferred to. Dral, Dorao, Drals, Drado, are some of tail and its long, flat body ends in a large blunt
them in Papiamento. In English, it is also called head. Its color of yellow and green or blue
Mahi Mahi, Dolphinfish, or Dorado. It’s a good makes it immediately recognizable, even with
example to reflect on why there can be many small variations in these colors.
names. The same fish becomes known by dif-
ferent common names, why? Common names Dorado has clear differences between adult
come only when a group of people, to un- sumption. It is known among fishermen as an females and males. The male is larger and can
derstand each other, assign a name to a fish. exciting catch and a fish that puts up a good easily reach 50 to 80 pounds and has a much
Mahi Mahi, for example, comes from Hawaii fight. Its meat is very good for consumption and flatter head compared to the female. There-
and means “very strong”. Dorado is based on it is also commercially fished for that reason. fore, male Dorados are also called “bull Do-
Spanish and refers to the golden yellow color rado”.
that the fish shines with under the sun. Why it’s They grow very fast, up to 2.7 inches (almost 7
called Dolphinfish in English is not well defined cm) per week. They can live up to a maximum Dorado can be found in our waters around
and while there are several stories around this, of 5 years although very few reach that age. the island all year round, but there are periods
none have been confirmed. Most become adults within 1 year but many be- when it is easier to find than others.
come reproductive after just 5 or 6 months and
Dorado is found in all tropical to subtropical reproduce very quickly too. Source: The Department of Agriculture, Live-
oceans around the world. Dorado is very pop- They live in open water on the surface most stock, and Fisheries (Santa Rosa).
ular both for recreational fishing and for con- of the time. Many fish seek them around sushi